


I Love You More

by Athems



Series: Sengen Week 2020 [3]
Category: Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Day 3, Language of Flowers, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sengen Week (Dr. STONE), Sengen Week 2020 (Dr. STONE), Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28446774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athems/pseuds/Athems
Summary: Sengen week day 3, marriage.Gen thought life was good now that both the Science Kingdom and the Empire of Might were united and he had been appointed as one of the Five Generals. He didn't hesitate in taking advantage of his new position, but his greedy tendencies ended with him in trouble, and who better to get him out of said trouble than Senku? If only the mentalist knew how much of a toll that was for the other...
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu
Series: Sengen Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080062
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46
Collections: SenGen, Sengen Week 2020-2021





	I Love You More

**Author's Note:**

> I originally had another idea for this story, but just as I was writing it this idea appeared out of nowhere. My friends liked the premise of this one better than the other, so here you have it.  
> Enjoy.

Gen was loving the improvements of the Science Kingdom lately. Now that they had an alliance with the Empire of Might he had been appointed as one of the wise five generals, giving him a high reputation and certain say in all decision.  
  
He was really happy with the alliance and he loved the attention and admiration he had from everyone, especially the girls; he had even noticed that some of them seemed to have made a fan club of him or something. They kept following him, laughed at his jokes, awed at his tricks and did as he pleased. He was living the dream of pretty much owing a harem as he had wanted from Tsukasa's empire at the beginning (although, the girls weren't naked as he would have preferred, but he certainly couldn't complain).  
  
Asagiri could see the envy in most of the other guys as he kept going around followed by his new entourage (Ginro got green every time he saw them), and even Senku had seemed to notice as he kept watching them with an unreadable and unapproachable look in his face. He wasn't sure why that particular part nagged and bothered him that much, but he figured it was just the surprise of seeing the other 'interested' in something other than his projects.  
  
Whatever the case, life couldn't be any better for Gen. He had gained what he wanted from both factions and didn't seem to have to help that much with the boat's construction. He had a semi-harem and good friends, the war had ended without casualties and an alliance had been made, he just missed some small comforts of the modern world, but he knew that if he kept around Senku's side, he was bound to recover all those things he still missed.  
  
Nothing could ruin things as they were.  
  


* * *

  
"Gen, could you show us some magic tricks?"  
  
"Yeah! That sounds fun!"  
  
"It would be great to see some of your old tricks again!"  
  
The girls and the mentalist were gathering some herbs around the forest (Kohaku's orders) when the requests from some of them started to appear. He figured he could impress them with some simple flower tricks, since he had an ample supply around him at the moment.  
  
He started with simple ones, making a flower appear and disappear, changing one flower for another and so on. He then started some other complicated tricks like making flowers appear somewhere else a little far from where he was. That's where he made his mistake.  
  
He had slipped a dahlia in Sapphire's dress, not knowing the meaning their village had for such a flower. So, when he pointed at it, instead of a gasp of surprise and applause as most of the other girls had done, she held the flower in her hand and shouted "Yes, I will!"  
  
"...You will what?" Asagiri asked confused.  
  
"I'll marry you!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him while crying in happiness.  
  
"What?!" he shouted in disbelief.  
  
He tried asking what she was talking about, but her emotions weren't cooperating, and she kept crying. When he asked the other from Ishigami Village what happened they only shrugged in response and said they weren't completely sure. In the end, it was Ruby, the youngest of the Sparkly Sisters, that suggested they ask Ruri about it.  
  


* * *

  
"Marriage proposal?!" Gen asked incredulous.  
  
He had gone and contacted Ruri through the phone, having managed to ditch Sapphire for a moment alone and explaining his problem as quickly as he could.  
  
"That's right. It's a tradition of the village," the girl explained to him calmly. "When a man gives a woman a dahlia, he's saying he wishes to marry her. After all, the flower represents commitment and a bond that lasts forever."  
  
"But I didn't know about this tradition! And I'm not part of the village, so surely it doesn't count!" he tried to reason.  
  
"You are part of the village Gen. The moment you outright betrayed Hyoga you became one of us. As for not knowing, many within the village don't know about that tradition either. I'm actually surprised Sapphire knows about it."  
  
"So what?! Is there no way to break this engagement?!" He was starting to get really desperate. Good thing Ukyo was the only one around to hear him, as the one in charge of communications.  
  
"Well, it all depends on her really. She's the one that was proposed to, so she's the one that needs to break it up." That was not the answer he wanted to hear. He knew that girl wouldn't let him go now that she got him. Asagiri told Ruri that, not liking the silence the other gave him in return.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt Gen," Ukyo's voice apologized from behind him. "But maybe Senku can help you out."  
  
"I think that's a good idea," the girl agreed. "If anyone can think of a way to convince Sapphire it's him."  
  
Asagiri didn't like the idea of involving more people in his problems, but he definitely didn't know what to do about this particular situation. He was used to helping others figure out a way to solve their issues, not the other way around.  
  
 _Would Senku even help me? He has been acting off lately, we haven't even spent time together that much because of the whole harem thing,_ Gen thought with apprehension. The idea of getting the other involved didn't sit well with him, and he had that nagging feeling again.  
  
"You lose nothing with asking," Ukyo commented after watching the other think things over.  
  
"I guess you're right," the mentalist concede with a sigh.  
  
He thanked Ruri for the information and cut the call before he and Ukyo made their way to the lab to speak with the scientist.  
  


* * *

  
When they entered the lab Gen immediately spotted Ryusui and Chrome, making him silently curse at not being able to find Senku alone to talk about the problem.  
  
"Well, well, well. What a surprise to see you here without your entourage Gen." Ryusui said the moment he saw the mentalist. "What happened? Did you get bored with them?"  
  
Asagiri didn't bother to give him an answer, instead shifting his attention to the scientist. "Senku-chan, I... Need your help." It took a lot of effort for him to utter those words, the nagging just getting worse with them.  
  
Ishigami just looked at him with that same unreadable and unapproachable expression before he gave a sigh and asked, "What happened?"  
  
"Gen accidentally proposed to one of the girls of the village, and it doesn't seem like she'll change her mind about it," Ukyo answered in the other's stead, knowing that admitting all this was hard for him.  
  
Ryusui started to laugh while Chrome looked at them with an incredulous face.  
  
"How do you 'accidentally' propose to someone?" the science amateur asked, not able to wrap his mind around such a thing.  
  
Asagiri gave an exasperated sigh before launching into an explanation. When he finished, he looked pleadingly to their leader. "Please Senku, I'm too young to get married and I don't even feel anything for her." Or anyone for that matter, a part of him silently added. Curiously enough, another part seemed to disagree wholeheartedly, but he didn't know why.  
  
"That's unkind of you Gen," Nanami scolded him with a harsh look. "You shouldn't have strung along any of those girls if you didn't even take into consideration their feelings for you."  
  
"I agree with him-" Chrome pointed at the captain, "-this is your fault Gen. You should be the one fixing it, not Senku."  
  
Having the rich boy Ryusui and the clueless Chrome reproach him anything was annoying, more so when he knew they were right. Gen did this to himself, his greed got the better of him and it has come bite him in the ass in the worst possible way.  
  
Senku for his part couldn't believe what he heard. _Gen is getting married..._ His mind kept going in circles for a moment before reminding himself that the other didn't wish to get married; that's when the jealousy started to appear. _Who does that harpy think she is? Tricking him into tying the knot with her... But it's also Gen's fault for keeping those girls around, stringing them along, thinking of them as his harem._ He knew his feeling for the other were getting more problematic than anticipated, but he couldn't help having fall in love with the other. He didn't like the idea of someone else taking him without Senku telling him how he felt. That's why his emotions were all over the place about the situation.  
 _But that shouldn't give them the idea that he is obligated to correspond to their feelings for him! He doesn't belong to them, he's much better with someone that is his equal, someone that gets him! Damnit, it should have been me proposing to him..._  
  
He kept thinking and thinking about the situation, absently listening to both Chrome and Ryusui reprimanding the other for his behavior, not noticing how Ukyo kept his eyes on him the whole time.  
  
Finally, his mind reached a conclusion, _I won't let her marry him if he doesn't want to. Even if he's at fault for the way he behaved he shouldn't have to go through with the marriage just to teach him a lesson. I know I can't bear the thought of him being with another without having seen if I even have a chance..._  
  
"I'll help you."  
  
The others stopped scolding Asagiri and looked at him in disbelief, whereas the mentalist looked at him in surprise and gave a grateful smile.  
  
"Thank you, Senku-chan." That had to be the most earnest gratitude anyone had ever heard from Asagiri Gen.  
  


* * *

  
Senku tried talking to Sapphire about the engagement. First, he tried to convince her that the moment wasn't right for such things, to which she simply responded that it would help boost morale for everyone to have a marriage ceremony. Then, he tried to tell her that as one of the wise five generals Gen was supposed to go along to wherever their mission of reviving humanity will take them, to which she answered that a spouse waiting for him back home would help keep his spirits up along the trip. Finally, he tried telling her that the other simply wasn't interested in marrying her and that the supposed proposal had been an accident (he figured being blunt and straight to the point would be the best approach by now), but she only laughed and said he was being ridiculous.  
  
When Senku relayed what happened to Gen, the mentalist started to panic and almost cry as it seemed there was no way to convince the girl that he didn't want to get married.  
  
"Like I said Gen, you shouldn't have strung along those girls," Ryusui commented while drinking some wine.  
  
Yeah, that's what you get for not fixing your own problems," Chrome told him while drawing some blueprints.  
  
"C'mon guys, lay off him a little," Ukyo tried to convince them. He noticed that Senku wasn't showing signs of giving up or leaving the other to his own fortune, but what else could he say to convince Sapphire of breaking it off?  
  
"I need some air..." Gen decided to go take a walk away from the others so he could calm himself and think of a plan.  
  
When he left, Ishigami seemed to make up his mind, going out the lab face set and with purpose in his steps, prompting Ukyo to follow him and ask what he was planning.  
  
"I'll be honest with her," was the answer he got.  
  
"What do you mean? You already tried that."  
  
"I told her the truth of his feelings, but she's blind to her own real ones." With that he went to look for the girl to try one last time to convince her.  
  
 _It shouldn't be him doing the part of psychologist with his citizens just to fix Gen's mistakes..._ Ukyo thought with a frown, wanting to find the mentalist and shake him until he realized what he was putting Senku through.  
  


* * *

  
"Here to try and discourage my decision again Senku?" Sapphire asked, taking a break from her work.  
  
"That's for you to decide," Ishigami said with a weary sigh. "If it's him you wish to marry then so be it. It's your life, your choices. But is he really the kind of man you want for the rest of your life?"  
  
The girl gave him a pensive look, letting his words run around her mind.  
  
"You have seen how shallow he can be. I know you're no idiot, you know he was just stringing you all along, he likes to just bask in the attention and give simple things in return for it. You deserve someone better, that will put you first among everyone else and is willing to do his best for you."  
  
Even if he was mostly saying all this to try and persuade her, he couldn't help but think how true this all was; Gen didn't seem to be boyfriend material at all. _But even so, those traits of his are all part of the reason why I fell for him,_ he concluded while waiting to see what decision Sapphire would reach.  
  
"You're right. I deserve someone better," she deduced after a moment. "He's handsome and smart, but I want someone that tries to be with me more than anyone else."  
  
Senku would have jumped in joy at her answer if he didn't feel such tiring relief at having convinced her, but he did give her a smile, happy to know that she loved herself enough to want someone that would devote himself to her and her alone.  
  
"He must be really important for you to try so hard to dissuade me from marrying him," she added with a smirk.  
  
"Ah, no... That's not it. I was just...just doing him a favor, that's all," Ishigami stammered a response, having been caught off guard at her perception.  
  
Sapphire gave a small laugh, "Whatever you say chief." She gave him a serious look then, "But you should really tell him how you feel soon. You never know, he might feel the same."  
  
With that said she went back to work, leaving a blushing Senku to think things over.  
  


* * *

  
Ishigami found Gen hours later looking at the setting sun, sitting at the floor of a small hill near the farmlands.  
  
He sat at his side, turning his gaze to the view before starting to talk. "She agreed to break off the engagement."  
  
"I know," came the quiet answer. "Sapphire came looking for me to tell me the news herself."  
  
"You don't sound that happy about it."  
  
"Oh, I am. Believe me," Gen turned his gaze to the other, not looking that happy in the least. "It's just that... This was all my fault. If only I didn't let my old greedy side take advantage of those girls, then this wouldn't had happened in the first place."  
  
It was good to see the mentalist had learned his lesson, but there was something about his demeanor that didn't sit well with the scientist.  
  
After a moment of silence, Gen finally uttered the thing that was most prominent in his mind: "I'm a horrible person."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
The sardonic smile on the other's face left a bitter taste on Senku's mouth.  
  
"I'm greedy, manipulative, shallow and a liar. Those traits should make everyone keep away from me, I don't bring anything good to anyone."  
  
 _So that's what the problem is,_ Senku thought immediately. _The whole situation has only served to remind him and everyone else the kind of person he can be._  
  
"Idiot," he told him before grabbing his chin with one hand and turning his head to look directly into his blue eyes. "Is because of all those traits that I want you around. Is because of them that I like who you truly are, we resonate and understand each other in a way no one can. Is because of them that we are both alive at this moment, and why we're planning on going with this crazy plan of reviving everyone and bringing civilization back to where it was. Is because of them that I fell in love with you, so don't you dare think less of yourself for them. Because to me you're the best this world has to offer." He let go of the other and stood up, looking at the sun setting completely while Asagiri absorbed his words in silence.  
  
He didn't want to pressure him into giving him an answer, neither did he want him to feel obligated into feeling the same. He just needed to tell him the truth and take that weight off his chest once and for all, and man, did it feel good to get it out there.  
  
"Don't bring yourself down Gen," he reminded the other, turning in the direction of the shipyard. "I need my mentalist at his best for the things to come. But do stop with the entourage, it's annoying for us and cruel for them." Senku left him then, reminding him to not be late for dinner.  
  
Asagiri just watched him go, his surprise at the other's confession leaving him completely speechless. His heart was beating at a fast rate, he could feel heat radiating from his face, and he finally understood why he was really apprehensive in the first place about asking Senku for help and why he had that nagging sensation all the time when it came to him.  
  
 _Look at me, a mentalist that can't recognize his own feeling for someone... I really feel like a joke right now,_ he thought, giving a small chuckle at how daft he had been lately.  
  
He stood up, dusted his clothes and started to think of ways to make it up to Senku. _He won't believe me right away if I tell him I feel the same (for obvious reasons), but I'm sure I can coax him into the idea little by little~._  
  
With that plan in mind he started to make his way back to the shipyard, skipping along the way with a happy smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I remember that from the three Sparkly Sisters in the village, Sapphire mentions that she wants a handsome man, and since we all think Gen is good-looking I figured I could use her for this story. After all, we all know how manipulative and tricky the mentalist can be, so it ain't hard to think he could easily charm almost any person he wanted.  
> Reviews, complains, suggestions, or even hellos are always welcomed, in either English or Spanish.


End file.
